Adjustable overhead support fob hoists



A. A. E. SNYDER.

ADJUSTABLE OVERHEAD SUPPORT FOR HOISTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21.1918.

Patented July 8, 1919*.

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UNITED STAirns PATENT ()JBEIVC1111.

ADAM SNYDER, 0F BANGOR, PENNsYLvAivIA."

ADJUSTABLE OVERHEAD sUPPoRT' FOR I'Iois'rs,

head support for hoists and the like, and

has for its objectto provide adeviceofthis character which embodies novel features of construction Vwhereby it canbe readily applied to a wooden or metal beam at the oeiling or roof Aand will provide an. eective meansV for supporting a block yand.,tac-,kle in a shop or other place which is not equipped with'a crane.,VV Further objects ofthe inventionlareto provide ya device-of.Y this characterwhich is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which c anbe readily placed in position or removed therefrom, which can be applied to either a wooden Ormetal beam, and which provides an veffective means for lifting and handling any heavy object.

Alith these and other objects in view, the invention consists incertain novel .combina-j tions and arrangements-fof the parts vas will more fully appear. as the description proceeds, the -novel features `thereof being pointed out in the appended'claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be'hadf to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:- f 't 4 Figure 1 is av side-elevation of an over? head support for hoists constructed in accordance with the invention; Y 4' Fig. 2 is a detailview of the upper end of the support, showingl the same as applied to a steelbeam.

Figure 3 is a detail perspective View of one of the jaws.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the upper end of one of the supporting links and the slide which carries the same.

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing a slight modification of the invention.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

' Specification of felttersPatent, l

" atgenteufulyls, 1919- Appiiuationigiednovemberzrfieis.. seria1N0-2e3,541.

. l liteferring to the drawings, which illustrate 011` embodiment of.. the invention, they nu? merals 1 ldesnggnatea p air of levers which cross each otherv at yintermediate l`points -in their length, being pivotally connected at their point of intersection' by asuitable pivot pin2. The; lower ends ofthe levers curvey downwardly, and have extension handles 3 ldetachably. applied thereto, while the upper `ends of the ileversare extended upwardly and inwardly to provideV hooks l, and terminate in transversely extending jaws' ,4f These jaws., PfOjeLltlallY in opposite d irections,. from the levers so as to obtain an extendedbearing surface upon. the beam, and the gripping faces of the jaws areffpreferably provided with'4 teeth 5. Then the'support isk applied to. a wooden beam LA, as;V indicatedby Fig..1 ,'the jaws engage Opposite Sides .Qf-ithe beam and, .heteth 5 bite* iet@ the/suea@thereof O n the other hand, when the Y device is applied to a steel I-beam Bthe hooked l ends 1a ofthe leversy fit around thelOWer'langes of the beam, as indicated by Fig. 2.

:The extension h and Provide a means forpplacijng thefdevice in position or removing", it therefrom.' It will. be obvious, however, that these handles can be detached after the support hasbeen placed in position, thereby leavinga free clearance space on all 7sides of the block and tackle or other hoisting device, and enabling the ,hoist vto be operated without finterandles 3 "are removable ference by -downwardly extending armsfor handles at the sides thereof. `In-the present instance the lower 4- ends ofthe levers 1l lare shown as terminating in threaded l, stems 6 which are detachably. e'ngaged; byg sockets( 7 at the upper endsfofthe extensio'nhandles 3, saidV socketsbeingfadaptedftojhe readily screwedupon orlunscrew'fed from the thread-I edstems.

@21011 be Providewthfa /Seresot ,notches 8, and sleeves 9 are shown as slidably mounted upon the levers, said slides being formed 'The curved lower'ends lof levers 1 may" with outwardly extending slotted ears 10 enabling the position of the sle-eves to be adjusted. I-Iowever, when the parts have been properly'adjusted and thehoist is supporting a load, the linksv 11 are drawn to the lower ends of the slotted ears 10 and held in engagement with the notches 8. The parts are thus locked in an adjusted position, and it will be obvious that the heavier the weight which is supported the more securely they will be locked and the more tightly the overhead beam will be gripped by the jaws. The hoist is securely and conveniently supported from anoverhead beam so that it can be used in the place Qf a. crane where a shop lis not equipped with a crane, and the arrangement is such that the weight of the supported object acts upon the diverging lower ends of the levers? 1 and' tends to swing the jaws toward each other so that the'heavier the object the more firmly the jaws are held in position.

A slight modification is shown by Fig. 5, in which one of the levers l is provided with a swinging latch member L which is adapted to engage a pin 20 on the other lever 1 to lock the levers against ypulling apart when it is desired to maintain the support in the same position for 'a considerable length of time. The latch member L is pivotally connected at 21 Vto one of the levers l, and provided at its swinging end with a series ol' notches 22, any selected one of these notches being adapted to be brought into engagement with the pin 20 of the other lever 1 to lock the levers in position and prevent the jaws -l fromA being swung apart and disengaged from the beam. A smooth edged plate 23 is pivotedat 24 to the latch L and when it is desired to render thelatch L inoperative this plate 23 is swung downwardly into alinement therewith so that the lower edge of the plate extends across the mouths of the notches 22 of `the latch member and rests upon the pin 20, thereby preventing the pin from entering and engaging one of the notches. This plate 23 is swung downwardly when the support is merely temporarily applied to the beam and it is not desired to lock it in position.` vThe latch member L drops lby gravity :into operative position, although it will be obvious that the notches 22 will be prevented from engaging and interlocking with the pin 2O except when the plate 23, is swung upwardly into inoperative position. The overhead support may thus be securely locked in position when it is desired to keep it in one place for any considerable length of time, and the locking device is automatic in its action except when the guard plate -is swung downwardly to render the latch plate inoperative.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-:-

l. An overhead support for hoists including a pair of crossed and pivotally connected levers of which the lower ends diverge while the upper ends terminate in op-posed jaws adapted to grip an overhead beam, slides mounted Aupon the diverging lower ends of the levers, suspending links carried by the slides and mounted to have a limited movement relative thereto, locking means controlled by the said relative movement betweenfthe links and slides for holding the slides in an adjusted position on the levers, and a hoist supported by the suspending links. f

2. An overhead support for hoists including a pair of crossed and pivotally connected levers, the lower ends of the levers diverging and being each yprovidedV with a seriesV of notches, while the upper ends thereof terminate in opposed jaws which are adapted to engage an overhead beam, slides mounted upon the diverging lower ends of the levers and formed with slotted portions, suspending links carried by the slides and loosely received within the slotted portions thereof, and a .hoist supported by the links, the weightof the hoist serving to hold the links in engagement with Vselected notches of the levers to lock theV slides in adjusted positions, although movingv the links upwardly within the slotted portions of the slides and disengagingthe links from ythe notches the positiony of the slides can be adjusted.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADAM A. E. SNYDER. Witnesses:

CALVIN G. SHOCK, ROBERT GoDsHALK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. Y 

